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Ancestry

Health & Fitness

Source-backed from Ancestry Privacy Statement

This report covers the Ancestry Privacy Statement (effective 12 May 2026) for Ancestry and AncestryDNA, including its U.S. Resident Additional Privacy Statement for residents of U.S. states that provide the privacy rights it describes. Its controls and remedies also draw on Ancestry’s Consumer Health Data Privacy Policy (effective March 31, 2024), its Cookie Policy and Ancestry help articles such as Deleting Your Ancestry Account and Family Tree Privacy, read for this report. It does not cover Ancestry’s Related Brands (Fold3, Newspapers.com, Archives, We Remember, Forces War Records and Find a Grave), which the statement also covers, or the other pages the statement links to; these were not reviewed for this report.

162
reviewed findings
15
key findings
3
free to read here
20
verified controls

5 of them depend on where you live.

Privacy Snapshot

What the published policy covers, and how much we found under each. Tap one to read it.

  • Location 1 finding
  • Camera & Photos 2 findings
  • Messages 2 findings
  • Biometrics 3 findings
  • Sensitive Data 13 findings
  • Tracking 7 findings
  • Advertising & Profiling 17 findings
  • Sharing 29 findings
  • Controls & Permissions 61 findings
  • Other 27 findings

3 findings, in full

The first 3 of this report’s 15 key findings, complete — claim, reasoning, and the policy’s own wording.

Sharing Ancestry's research partners include organizations that conduct or support development of therapeutics and medical devices

What this means

Ancestry says its research partners include commercial or non-profit organizations that conduct or support scientific research or the development of therapeutics, medical devices or related material to treat, diagnose or predict health conditions.

Why this matters

Ancestry's research ties extend beyond scientific study to the development of treatments and medical devices.

What the policy says

Research partners include commercial or non-profit organizations that conduct or support scientific research, the development of therapeutics, medical devices or related material to treat, diagnose or predict health conditions. In some circumstances, a research partner or Ancestry may have a financial interest in the research arrangement.

From Ancestry Privacy Statement

Source captured on

What you can do

A privacy control may reduce part of this practice.

Plainlyst Premium shows where to find it, what it changes, what it doesn’t change, and what may stop working.

View in Privacy Tune-Up
Advertising & Profiling Subject to your preferences, Ancestry shares some of your data with ad partners

What this means

In its U.S. resident statement, Ancestry says that, subject to your preferences, it shares identifiers, commercial information, internet usage information and inferences with marketing and advertising partners for targeted advertising.

In its U.S. resident statement, Ancestry says that, subject to your preferences, it discloses identifiers, commercial information, internet usage information and inferences to marketing and advertising partners for targeted advertising.

Why this matters

Depending on your preferences, ad partners can receive some of what you buy and how you browse, for targeted ads.

What the policy says

Subject to your preferences, Ancestry shares some Personal Information with third parties for targeted advertising: […] Marketing and Advertising Partners Identifiers; Commercial information; Internet usage information; Inferences.

From Ancestry Privacy Statement

Source captured on

What you can do

A privacy control may reduce part of this practice, where it is available to you.

Plainlyst Premium shows where to find it, what it changes, what it doesn’t change, and what may stop working.

View in Privacy Tune-Up
Sensitive Data If you give research consent, Ancestry studies aggregated genetic data on health

What this means

Ancestry says that if you have agreed to participate through its Informed Consent to Research, it studies aggregated Genetic Information to better understand population and ethnicity-related health, wellness, aging or physical conditions.

Ancestry says it studies aggregated Genetic Information to better understand population and ethnicity-related health, wellness, aging or physical conditions if you have agreed to participate through its Informed Consent to Research.

Why this matters

Agreeing to research puts your DNA into studies of health and aging.

What the policy says

Ancestry uses your Genetic Information for the following purposes: […] Studying aggregated Genetic Information to better understand population and ethnicity-related health, wellness, aging, or physical conditions if you have agreed to participate through our Informed Consent to Research ;

From Ancestry Privacy Statement

Source captured on

What you can do

A privacy control may reduce part of this practice.

Plainlyst Premium shows where to find it, what it changes, what it doesn’t change, and what may stop working.

View in Privacy Tune-Up

12 more key findings a free account opens, by topic

  • Advertising & Profiling 3
  • Biometrics 2
  • Controls & Permissions 2
  • Messages 1
  • Other 1
  • Sensitive Data 1
  • Sharing 1
  • Tracking 1

Create a free account to read all 15

And every key finding for every company you use, with your companies saved and a dashboard of what is worth seeing across them, plus your Privacy Tune-Up. An email and a password — no card.

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Unlock the complete Ancestry report

A free account opens all 15 key findings. 147 additional reviewed findings are available in the complete report.

  • Location 1 more
  • Camera & Photos 2 more
  • Messages 1 more
  • Biometrics 1 more
  • Sensitive Data 11 more
  • Tracking 6 more
  • Advertising & Profiling 13 more
  • Sharing 27 more
  • Controls & Permissions 59 more
  • Other 26 more

  • Complete report

    147 additional reviewed findings, each shown with the policy wording behind it, like the 15 above.

  • Privacy Tune-Up

    20 verified privacy controls, 7 of them high-impact — where each one is, what it changes, and what may stop working.

  • Stay protectedPlanned

    Told when the policy changes.

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Plainlyst simplifies selected disclosures from privacy policies. It does not claim to capture every statement or practice in a policy, and it is not legal advice.

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Official sources only. Every finding quotes the company’s own policy, and every record names the document behind it. We do not grade anybody.